The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Master Recipe! (Back to Basics updated)

Artisan Bread | Breadin5

This is one of the site’s most popular posts. Why? It answers many of the questions that you asked, with the answers incorporated The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Thank you all for making this new edition possible–readers are where the new ideas come from. If you’re having trouble getting this recipe to turn out the way you’d like, check out the troubleshooting tips on the FAQs page here. 

For the Master Recipe…

If you’re new to the site, welcome, and thank you for trying the bread. The updated edition (2013) has lots of material that wasn’t in the original Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (2007):

—More color pictures, there are 40 now (compared with 8), and 100 B+W instructionals

—A gluten-free chapter

—An expanded Tips and Techniques section

—Weight equivalents for every dough–for those of you with digital scales at home (optional!)

—Instructions for adjusting yeast and salt to your taste. And we decreased our standard yeast amount to 1 tablespoon (previously used 1.5 tablespoons for four pounds of dough).

—And 30 new recipes, including crock pot bread, a whole wheat variation that lets you increase the whole grain, rolls, panini, and more. About 130 more pages than our first edition.

As we bake through the basic Master recipe from NewABin5 we’ll try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. The goal is to create a large batch of dough that stores in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. That’s why our method saves  you so much time– all the mixing and prep is divided over four one-pound loaves.

Master Recipe from The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking

3 cups (1 1/2 pounds/680 grams) lukewarm water (you can use cold water, but it will take the dough longer to rise. Just don’t use hot water or you may kill the yeast)

1 tablespoon granulated yeast ( you can use any kind of yeast including products labeled as instant, “quick,” rapid rise, bread machine, active dry, or even fresh cake yeast (which isn’t granulated)*. You can also decrease the amount of yeast in the recipe by following the directions here. Or you can bake with a sour dough starter, see instructions here.)

*If you use cake yeast you will need 1.3 ounces (37g).

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons Morton Kosher Sal(adjust to suit your taste or eliminate it all together. Find more information here)

6 1/2 cups (2 pounds/910 grams) all-purpose flour (the recipe’s tested with typical supermarket flour. If you use a higher protein flour check here)

Mixing the dough:

In a 5 or 6 quart bowl or lidded dough bucket (the lid is sold separately), dump in the water, and add the yeast and salt.

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Because we are mixing in the flour so quickly it doesn’t matter that the salt and yeast are thrown in together.

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Dump in the flour all at once and stir with a long handled wooden spoon or a Danish Dough Whisk which is one of the tools that makes the job so much easier!

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Stir it until all of the flour is incorporated into the dough, as you can see it will be a wet rough dough.

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Put the lid on the container, but do not snap it shut. You want the gases from the yeast to escape (you can put a little hole in the top of the lid so that you can close the lid and still allow the gases to get out. It doesn’t take much of a hole…

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Allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to rise (it may take longer). When you first mix the dough it will not occupy much of the container.

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But, after the initial 2 hour rise it will pretty much fill it. (If you have decreased the yeast you will have to let it go longer than 2 hours.)  DO NOT PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH! Just let it settle by itself.

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The dough will be flat on the top and some of the bubbles may even appear to be popping. (If you intend to refrigerate the dough after this stage it can be placed in the refrigerator even if the dough is not perfectly flat. The yeast will continue to work even in the refrigerator.) The dough can be used right after the initial 2 hour rise, but it is much easier to handle when it is chilled.  It is intended for refrigeration and use over the next two weeks, ready for you anytime. For the first two days of storage, be sure to leave the lid open a crack, to allow gasses to escape. After that, you can usually snap down the lid on plastic contains without problems, because they’re usually not entirely airtight. BUT, DON’T SEAL GLASS CONTAINERS OR THEY MIGHT SHATTER. The flavor will deepen over that time, developing sourdough characteristics.

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The next day when you pull the dough out of the refrigerator you will notice that it has collapsed and this is totally normal for our dough. It will never rise up again in the container.

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Dust the surface of the dough with a little flour, just enough to prevent it from sticking to your hands when you reach in to pull a piece out.

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You should notice that the dough has a lot of stretch once it has rested. (If your dough breaks off instead of stretching like this your dough is probably too dry and you can just add a few tablespoons of water and let it sit again until the dough absorbs the additional water.)

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Cut off a 1-pound piece of dough using kitchen shears* and form it into a ball. This video shows the technique for shaping this very wet dough.

Place the ball on a sheet of parchment paper… (or rest it on a generous layer of corn meal on top of a pizza peel.)

*Sewing Shears can be nice because of the long blade. I just dedicated a pair to the kitchen.

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Let the dough rest for at least 40 minutes, (although letting it go 60 or even 90 minutes will give you a more open hole structure in the interior of the loaf. This may also improve the look of your loaf and prevent it from splitting on the bottom.) You will notice that the loaf does not rise much during this rest, in fact it may just spread sideways, this is normal for our dough.

You can also try our “refrigerator rise trick,” shaping the loaves and then immediately refrigerating them overnight.  By morning, they’ll have risen and are ready for the oven after a brief room-temp rest while the oven preheats (click for instructions).

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. with a Baking Stone* on the center rack, with a metal broiler tray on the bottom (never use a glass vessel for this or it will shatter), which will be used to produce steam. (The tray needs to be at least 4 or 5 inches away from your stone to prevent it from cracking.)

*(or Cast Iron Pizza Pan– which will never crack and conducts heat really well. Be careful to dry it after rinsing with water or it will rust)

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Cut the loaf with 1/4-inch deep slashes using a serrated bread knife. (If your slashes are too shallow you will end up with an oddly shaped loaf and also prevent it from splitting on the bottom.) If your dough is collapsing when you make the slashes, it may be that the dough has overproofed or your knife it dull and dragging the dough too much.

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Slide the loaf into the oven onto a preheated stone (the one pictured below is cast iron) and add a cup of hot water to the broiler tray. Bake the bread for 30-35 minutes or until a deep brown color. As the bread bakes you should notice a nice oven spring in the dough. This is where the dough rises. To insure that you get the best results it is crucial to have an Oven Thermometer to make sure your oven is accurate.

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If you used parchment paper you will want to remove it after about 20-25 minutes to crisp up the bottom crust. Continue baking the loaf directly on the stone for the last 5-10 minutes.

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Allow the loaf to cool on a rack until it is room temperature. If you cut into a loaf before it is cooled you will have a tough crust and a gummy interior. It is hard to wait, but you will be happy you did! Make sure you have a sharp serrated bread knife that will not crush the bread as you cut.

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If you have any leftover bread just let it sit, uncovered on the cutting board or counter with the cut side down. If you cover a bread that has a crust it will get soggy.

Enjoy, have fun baking, and check out the FAQs page if you’re having trouble getting the bread to turn out the way you’d like.

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835 thoughts to “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day Master Recipe! (Back to Basics updated)”

  1. Help! I love bread and pizza and rolls and donuts and….well, you know. Recently I have been trying this popular “wheat free” diet in the hopes that some of the things promised by the author, especially lower joint inflammation and pain, would ensue. Not so much. I was skeptical at first and am becoming more so. It’s hard, expensive, and I haven’t even lost an ounce in over a week! Tell me wheat isn’t the poison they are saying it is. Let me eat pizza again! (BTW…have been one of your biggest fans since I bought your first book!)

    1. Some people can’t eat the gluten protein in wheat–no question about that. But—I think a lot of irresponsible claims are being made about single food items causing a wide range of diseases, and that the evidence for these claims is extraordinarily poor. In particular, I don’t think there’s evidence that going gluten-free causes you to lose weight. More careful studies will show that attention to diet results in less calories consumed, and that’s what will account any weight loss being claimed. As for the other diseases and conditions being claimed here–I don’t think there’s an evidence base for it. That’s not to say that someday, such evidence might exist. But today, it’s just not there, and common sense tells me that wheat isn’t the central problem.

      That said, we can’t be eating half a loaf every day. That would be a problem. Too much bread causes indigestion (too much carbohydrate causes gas-formation), and of course obesity. Moderation might mean that if we’re eating a big bagel for breakfast (250 calories), a sandwich for lunch (another 250 calories for two 1.5 ounce slices), and bread with dinner (depends how much you eat)– then we need to cut down. That could be, let’s say, 750 calories in bread every day, and most people should be under 2000 calories total for the day. A good calculator for daily calorie needs is at https://www.webmd.com/diet/food-fitness-planner/

    2. I expect Marcia’s already long given up, but there are points here I wanted to address for the next person who comes along with the same complaint.

      …it’s possible to GAIN weight when switching to a gluten-free diet. Especially if you’re replacing your former gluten-containing products straight across with GF bread, GF pasta, GF cookies, GF crackers, et cetera et cetera (and there is a LOT of GF junk food!) – and that’s where the high costs tend to come in, too. Gluten-free products and mixes ARE very expensive, no two ways about it, part of it being manufacturers knowing they have people over a barrel (or so they think), and part of it being that it’s a real pain in the rump and costs a chunk in R&D to formulate these GF recipes to be the clones of gluten products that people expect. But if you reorient the notions that lunch=sandwich-on-sliced-bread-or-roll, or soup must have bread (something I struggled quite hard with, oddly enough), or Sunday breakfast must be pancakes/waffles/cinnamon rolls, the costs can drop *dramatically*.

      1. Mizz M: Please take a look at our FAQ on posting to our site, about health claims, at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/06/01/i-posted-a-comment-to-this-site-but-it-hasnt-appeared-what-happened

        I’ve edited your comments, because they do contain complex health claims, some of which we can’t find evidence for. Those parts were edited out. Hope that’s OK; if you’d prefer that I remove your comment altogether since it’s been edited, please let me know here and I’ll do it. Jeff

  2. HELP!!! I made the dough for Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread and used wheat germ instead of vital wheat gluten! That’s what I get for trying to multi task while making bread!! Any way to save my dough? It’s coming to the end of it’s initial two hour rising time.

    Thanks!!

    1. Cindy How did your bread work out? I hope it was still fabulous, but I’m curious if you enjoyed the addition or not.

      1. Well, it turned out fine. Didn’t rise very high. Not sure if that’s due to the fact that I didn’t put the wheat gluten in. It has a nice nutty flavor because of the wheat germ though. 🙂
        Next time, I’ll add both wheat germ AND vital wheat gluten.

    2. Hi Cindy,

      Is it very wet? If so, you should just add more flour, about 3/4 to 1 cup of all-purpose. If you’ve never made our dough before, you may want to watch our videos to see what the dough should look like. Let me know what you think of the wheat germ bread tastes like. The dough will not store as long without the vital wheat gluten, so you’ll want to bake the bread off within 5 days.

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. Thanks Zoe. I’ve made your recipes many times and they mostly always turn out great! As I mentioned above, the bread didn’t rise as much as I’d like, but it tasted great!

  3. Just got the new book yesterday, love it! (Had the original for years.) I like that so many questions were addressed and the extra photos are great! My question has to do with Wisconsin Beer-Cheese Bread which I’d like to make soon. You mention using a “strong-tasting” beer, could you make any suggestions: ale, stout, a brand, etc? Thanks!

    1. Hi Lynn,

      So glad you like the new book!

      I used NewCastle Brown Ale, since that is the beer my husband drinks. It was great. I just think the flavor of a light beer will get lost under the cheese.

      Thanks, Zoë

  4. Hi!
    I’m so excited to try making bread with the 5-minute method.
    You mention to use a 6-qt bowl with a lid. Any suggestions on where to find one? I’d rather not use plastic.
    Thanks!
    Sheila

    1. Hi Sheila,

      I have used a soup pot lid to cover the bowl. Just avoid using a cloth towel or it may stick to the dough.

      Thanks, Zoë

  5. Dear Zoe, Jeff,

    I am a big fan of your book, and having never before made bread, now make it at least twice a week and get complements all the time. Last week I made a batch, but with the house getting a little cooler it didn’t rise as much as It need to before it was time to shape. So I did the unthinkable and kneaded it for about 30 seconds to try to make up for the lack of a bubbly rise. It was a bit sticky, but not too bad. I then shaped and baked as normal and the results were better than ever. Lovely big holes, a higher rise and less sideways spread. I’d love your thoughts on what happened, because an extra 30 seconds is no big deal for an even better loaf. By the way, I am in the UK and use bread flour becuse the all purpose (plain) flour here is a bit lower protein than in the US.

    Warm regards
    Sharon

    1. Hi Sharon,

      By kneading the dough a little bit, you tightened the gluten, so it has more strength to hold its shape and rise better. When you knead the dough it typically requires a slightly longer rise after.

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. Thanks, that’s very helpful to know and I’ll keep the extra rise time in mind. Good luck with your new book (my copy is winging its way over from Amazon as we speak)
        Sharon

  6. Hi there!

    Just wanted to say that my copy of your new book arrived this morning (in Brisbane, Australia!!) – I was so excited I immediately whipped up a mix of the new GF dough. In thirty minutes (including time to source the flour from my pantry, get my stand mixer out, and clean up at the end) I have some dough rising on my bench. My children will enjoy a crusty loaf for afternoon tea! Thank you!! I t looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try all the other new recipes. We are currently trialing a GF diet so really appreciate the new chapter and new recipes for GF bread. Well done!
    Em

  7. My dough is so very sticky that I have great difficulty forming a ball. The bread came out great though it’s just that I watched the video and Jeff didn’t have anything sticking to him and the ball was so smooth!

  8. I follow the recipe and use gold metal flour but my dough doesn’t stretch after its rested. It breaks off. I tried adding two Tbsp water after it rested for a day. But I tried the dough after two hour rest and it broke off again. What I’m I doing wrong. This is my third batch. They all broken off instead off stretching when taking out of the bucket. Sharon

      1. Jeff, first of all I took the 3 pound bag of Goldmetal flour and dumped in into a 6 Liter bucket with no air hole for storage of the flour. Should I have stored up the flour in the bucket before I measured the flour? I didn’t stir up the flour first. I just took a one cup stainless steel measuring cup and dipped into the flour and used a knife to take the excess off the cup. I measured 61/2 cups of flour that way. I followed the recipe. 3 cups warm water 100 degrees measured by a thermometer in a liquid measuring Pyrex cup. Yeast 1 Tablespoon in a glass container. Kosher Morton salt 11/2 Tablespoon . I use the Danish dough hook, mix . Then I add the 61/2 cups of flour. It gets a little tough to mix . It isn’t super wet. Let rest 2 hours in 6 L bucket with small hole on top at room temp, it rises to 4L. I put in the refrigerator over night. The next day I open the bucket and take a piece of dough out of the bucket. It just breaks off. No scissors necessary. No stretch to the dough. I tried adding 2 Tablespoons warm water then letting it sit on the counter without mixing the dough for 2 hours more. Then refrigerating the dough over night. Just tested the dough and same thing breaks off. What I’m I doing wrong?

      2. There’s nothing obvious that you’re doing wrong. Big question though: you say that it just “breaks off,” but what’s the result when you bake these loaves? That’s the ultimate test, rather than the way the dough handles. Is it dry? Too wet? How’s the hole structure? The flavor?

    1. It’s disappointing and expensive I’ve found difficulty in the cloaking process but my bread has turned out well. Maybe it is the measuring process.

      1. Sounds like you just need to dry things out a bit. Assuming you’re using a standard flour (Gold Medal, etc) already, just decrease the water a bit so it looks like what I have in my video…

      2. OK, now we’re getting somewhere. I think if you make it with KAF and keep the water at standard, everything will work out for you.

      3. Really strange, but I made a batch of challah 2 days ago. Baked 4 loaves today and didn’t have much trouble with the cloaking. Last batch of brioche was difficult but the bread was delicious!!! Seams inconsistent.

        On a another nite, can I freeze baked loaves with a good result if they are wrapped well?

    1. It’s faster, but not demonstrably better. Either way works well. If you use the stand mixer, use the paddle (flat beater) rather than the dough hook; our stuff’s too wet for the hook.

  9. I just got the new book and want to try GF for a relative. However, the store where I usually buy all my odd flours only has Potato Starch Flour (the brand name is Swan). According to the package, it can be used for baking so I bought it. (there were other pure potato starches on the shelf like I use at Passover but nothing straight “potato flour”.) Later, I ran a search online and found a number of Potato Flour brands.

    My question: do you think the Swan stuff will work?

  10. Thanks for the great recipe and instructions. I was curious – I had a couple of fresh loaves on the parchment paper to rise for 60 minutes, which they did just fine. However, I opted to transfer them by hand without the paper to my baking stone. When I did, they deflated. Not bad, but enough that I wonder what effect it has on the finished product.

    Is it imperative that you don’t touch it, or cause it to deflate, or will it recover in the baking process?

    1. Hi Frank,

      If you handle the loaf after a long rise like that, it can deflate a bit. This was probably more dramatic because it stuck to the parchment and it took more effort to get them separated.

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. That’s exactly what happened. However, the results were horrible. So horrible, in fact, that my wife, daughter and I had to eat the whole loaf just to be sure….

  11. Hi. I started with the Artisan loaf early last month (Nov., 2013) and continue to make this recipe.
    My mom baked a lot, and I am now 52, and I always look for ways to both cut my living expenses and improve quality of life. So I searched the ‘Net for “easy/beginner” bread and found the “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes” concept.
    I will say I made a mistake on the first two loaves made from the 6.5 cup recipe. It called for all that salt, and I used REGULAR salt and it was way too salty!
    Also, three cups of warm water for 6.5 cups of flour has never, EVER been enough water!
    I always do half of each, mix together, add second half of flour, rest of water, work it in, and still plenty of dry flour. I end up adding about 1/2 more every time.
    I put the mixture in a big cast iron dutch oven and sit it on the fridge with a wet cloth over the top.
    Before, when I had made this recipe three times, I never touched the dough during the two hour rise. Last time and this time however, I did a “Stretch and Fold” technique after the first hour, and it did not seem to affect the bread in any negative way. In fact, it seems firmer, which I like for both dipping in wet foods, or for sloppy sandwiches.
    I hope to be baking a long time, and this recipe is all I think I need, although I do wish to try to make something with rye.

    1. Hi Mike,

      What brand of flour are you using? Just curious about the amount of water you’re using. So glad you’re enjoying the bread.

      Thanks, Zoë

  12. Hi, I am going to try this and I bought the same container as described in the post. I will drill a tiny hole in a lid (1/16 inch). Does it store well in the fridge for up to two weeks using the lid with the hole, or do I swap out with a non-hole vented lid or cover the hole with tape at some point?

      1. Hi . I made the pumpernickel dough. I would like some suggestions on forming this dough. I found it difficult because the directions tell you to use water inter stead of flour which I understand. I did use the dough after the initial rise so I’m hoping that it will be easier after chilled. I also wanted to know if I could form the dough and the freeze it’?

      2. Hi Shelda,

        The dough will be much easier to work with when it is cold, try that and let me know how it goes. You can just freeze it in one pound packets, but don’t shape it until it is defrosted.

        Thanks, Zoë

  13. I just made this and my dough has been sitting for over 2 hours and it hasn’t risen 🙁 what did I do wrong? Is it still usable?

    1. Hi Nicki,

      Has it risen at all, even a little bit? If there is any rise at all, it may just mean that you used cooler water or the room is cool, which takes more time for the yeast to activate. If it hasn’t risen even a tiny bit, then the yeast was either no good or you used water that was too hot and it died. If this is the case you can just make a slurry out of the right amount of yeast and a tablespoon of water and work it into the dough. Let it sit for another couple of hours and it should work. If you suspect your yeast is not good, you may want to do a test by putting a little yeast in some lukewarm water and see if it bubbles up after several minutes.

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. There was no rise at all. After 4 hours I divided it up into 3 1 pound packages and 1 3/4 ound packages and froze the bigger 3 and kept the smaller out on the counter. I am going to cook it and see what happens. In the mean time I mixed up a new batch, following the instructions on my yeast package (told me to let it sit in water for 10 minutes, Or use water that was at least 120 degrees) I used warmish water, let it sit for 10 minutes and didn’t mix the salt into the water/yeast combo I did the flour first, it’s been sitting out for only 30 minutes and it’s already started rising.

      2. Hi Nicki,

        Great, glad this batch is starting to rise. If your first batch doesn’t bake up well, you can defrost the other pieces and add new yeast as I suggested before.

        Thanks, Zoë

  14. I saw your interview on TV Minneapolis, and had to have your book. My daughter and I first tried the light whole wheat bread recipe. We were over the moon with the success of our first trial, and now are going to do some of the other recipes. Everyone oohed and aahed about the wonderful bread… (we didn’t dwell on how easy it really was!). Thank you!!! It’s as good as the “broetchen” that we had in Germany, and that’s really saying a lot! Lillian

  15. Zoe thanks for the reply about the hole in the lid. It works great!

    I made my first batch and love it, and have one more loaf to bake. The last one, I was in so much hurry to get it into the oven, that I forgot to make cuts on the bread. It still came out okay in my view…maybe a little less “done” on the inside? What is the full purpose of the cuts? I assume it adds to the look of the bread, but it actually aids in cooking, right?

    BTW, I ordered the book on Amazon via the link and just got it today, I am sure I am gonna love it!

    1. Mainly a shape issue– if you don’t it’ll break unpredictably, see my post on this at https://wp.me/p1WMDL-1ew
      I’m not sure why your loaf was underdone but we don’t generally view that as a result of not slashing. See our FAQs page (“Dense crumb”) for some tips.

  16. Can you bake the basic recipe in a loaf pan? if so, do you bake using same temp. and for the same amount of time?? thanks

    1. I’m a little confused– do you mean Artisan Bread in Five Min/Day compared with its updated version, The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day? Or do you mean these books compared with Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day?

  17. Can I move the dough from the mixing bowl from my mixing machine to the plastic container to store in the fridge without it causing any issues to the dough (over manipulating)thanks. Love the bread have made two loaves each time and with practice it keeps getting easier and better

    1. Our brioche is the closest– but you can’t re-create true flaky doughs like Danish or puff pastry with that. Close approximation though in terms of flavor. Just put “brioche” in our search bar above.

  18. My container is only large enough to cut the recipe in half. Can you please give me the exact recipe, (cups, Tbs, tsp.) I have used this many times and had great success but my yeast measurements do not equal half like the package states. I use 3.25 cups flour, 1.5 tsp salt, and 3/4 of a pkg of yeast. My question is how many tsp is 3/4 of a pkg of yeast. Can I just use 1 pkg?

    1. One yeast package is 2.25 teaspoons, so 3/4 package is 1.7 teaspoons. About. The recipe is very forgiving and the yeast doesn’t have to be precise, see the FAQs tab above and scroll down to “Yeast, can it be decreased in the recipes?”

      1. thank you for responding. I am going to buy yeast in a jar since I am baking so much lately, now I know how much to use. Also, thank you for the info on decreasing the yeast. I accidentally used 1.5 pkg of yeast for half a recipe and was stressing that I had ruined it and wasted my King Arthur flour! however, I made mini pizza’s and it turned out great! Keep up the great work!

  19. No, the recipe will work with a range of yeast, that’s not the problem. Before we go any further, have you been through the Tips and Techniques section in the book, the part starting on page 41?

  20. Is the bread dense? Have you worked through the possible explanations on page 41 of the booK? That yeast variation shouldn’t matter. Any flour swaps here, or using home-ground flour? basically, anything different from typical commercial flour?

  21. There’s similar information in our first edition, or on our FAQs tab above. Main question– is the bread overly dense?

  22. Well, the first book should work for you, and to be honest, if you’re not getting the 1st one to work, the 2nd isn’t going to be the answer. What flour are you using? Typical supermarket flours are what we tested with, like gold medal AP. Are you making the basic boule on page 25? People have reported problems like yours with home-ground flour, any chance that’s the explanation?

  23. Bill, Hi my name is Sharon. I been reading your questions and concerns. I was wondering if you still have problems with your dough not stretching . Now that your bread is rising. I been having problems with my dough not stretching from the beginning of making the basic recipe. I been using the Goldmetal flour and following the recipe exactly, still it just breaks off no need for scissors. Just wondering now that you have your dough rising does it stretch too?

    1. Hi Sharon,

      One reason dough does not stretch can be temperature. If your refrigerator runs very cool you may need to just let the dough sit out on the counter for about 15 to 20 minutes and see if it changes the consistency of the dough. If this is the case, there is nothing wrong with the dough, nor will it change the outcome of the bread, but you will need to let the dough rest longer before baking to compensate for the cold dough.

      Thanks, Zoë

      1. Hi Just want to say my dough does stretch but I’m able to just break it off I don’t even bother cutting. I just tear it. Off. Probably shouldn’t but my new name is “bread lady”

      2. Hi Shelda,

        As long as you are happy with the bread, then there is no right or wrong way of doing it! 🙂

        Cheers, Zoë

      3. Hi, Zoe I checked my refrigerator temperature and it was between 42-44 degrees. The temperature kept rising when I took the thermometer out of the refrigerator. I checked my flour and it’s unbleached Goldmetal all propose flour. All my flour has been Goldmetal unbleached all purpose flour with with your recipe for the basic bread on the bag. I follow the new Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day basic recipe. I scoope and sweep the 6 1/2 cups of flour . My bread is hard to mix up with the Danish dough hook. I measure the water in a pyxex plastic container. I measure the temperature of the water to 100 degrees. I let it sit out in a 6 L bucket with a hole drilled on top lid for the two hour rise. It usually rises to 4L high after two hours. Then I put it in the refrigerator over night. It shrinks a little bit. Take it out of the refrigerator and it just breaks off. No stretch. I form it and let it rest for 40- 60 minutes then bake after I slash it first. My bread sometimes has good hole structure not always. The bread comes out dense too. With very little hole structure. My favorite bread from the store is ciabatta bread. Occasionally , the fist couple of cuts into the bread look like a ciabatta bread. Then it’s has smaller holes the more I cut it. Not sure why my dough doesn’t stretch . The bread that I get is just ok not as good if I bought it at an artisan bread store. I’ve stopped making the bread because I been disappointed in it don’t stretching and the loaves not turning out with large hole structures.

      4. Hi Sharon,

        It sounds like you are doing everything just right, so it is a mystery why you aren’t getting a better stretch? This is typically a temperature issue, but your refrigerator seems not to be running particularly cold. If your kitchen is cooler you can try letting the dough rest 60+ minutes to get a more open crumb throughout the loaf.

        Thanks, Zoë

    2. Bill, thanks for your reply to my post. I checked and I’m using Goldmetal all purpose unbleached flour from the beginning of making the basic recipe. I’m glad your bread is rising now. And the bread stretches and your happy how it turning out. My bread still doesn’t stretch . It just breaks off. But, I’m using the right flour. Well, best of luck in your bread making. Sharon

  24. Hi Bill,

    I hope this batch works better for you. The bleaching in most modern flours doesn’t use the same chemicals that used to break down the proteins. I wonder if the flour was the same brand that you bought this time vs the one your wife bought. Different brands have different amounts of protein and will produce very different dough. Please let me know if this works out well for you.

    Cheers, Zoë

  25. Hi Bill,

    I’m so pleased it is all worked out. If you don’t mind I’ll leave up your comments, they may be helpful to the next person who is having the same issue. If you prefer, I will take them down.

    Cheers, Zoë

  26. Hi Zoe and Jeff,
    I tried the Master recipe and made a boulle. Although the inside came out chewy and yummy, the crust came out very hard, and not as brown as yours in the picture. What went wrong? Is it possible to bake the bread at a lower temperature to make the crust less hard? Thank you for such a delicious recipe!!

    1. Hi Cindy,

      Are you baking on a stone with the steam? You may also need to check your oven temp with an oven thermometer to make sure it is running true to temp. Is your oven gas?

      Thanks, Zoë

  27. Hi, I’m ur latest fan, from Asian country (Singapore). After watching the video, I’m so convince I am also able to churn out no knead bread. I ordered ur new book and it’s on the way. While waiting, I decided to try out ur master recipe given here. Here is what I did, half the recipe, replace ap flour with bread flour and also a portion with 1/2 cup of rye flour. I did the refrigerator trick as well. Attempt to create steam in the oven. My bread turn out chewy, and the texture looks a bit mochi kind. Is that suppose to be like that? Can you let me know what could possibly go wrong?

    1. Hi Cuen,

      If you switch to bread flour you will need to add more water to compensate for the additional protein in the flour. Do you happen to know the protein content of the flour? Is it a local brand or something we may have experience with?

      Thank you, Zoë

      1. Hi Zoe,

        It is a local brand and didn’t indicate the protein %. I did took the advise in adding in my water. The chewy and mochi texture is due to water content?

      2. Hi Zoe
        U r so patient! I used your book. As a text book to study as well as a cookbook. I learned so much and people could save so. Much time because. It’s a wealth of information. Is your healthy bread. Book producing loaves that r lower calorically?

  28. I have my book on order, in the mean time, can I make just one loaf of bread to start? How do I adjust the recipe amounts?

  29. Hi, I just made the dough and the stovetop pizza, and it was wonderful. Thank you for the wonderful recipe and tutorial.

    Have you ever tried the ratio: 3 cups water, 1 T yeast and salt, 6 cups flour?

    Just wondering.

    1. Yes, I have– in general, that was too wet to work with and shape loaves without them getting really flat during the resting time. Assuming you mean all-purpose U.S. flour. If you using something higher-protein (like bread flour) you could get away with it.

  30. Hi Zoe and Jeff
    I’m having a recurring issue with almost all breads other than enriched. At the very bottom of the loaves, ie buttermilk,rye pumpernickel there is a band at the bottoms that is not raw but a little gummy. I’ve even tried baking them a little longer but it seems like anything that I gave to form gives me this result. Any recommendation? Otherwise they really are superb. Friends call me the bread lady, but I don’t like what I see. Not on the master or challah but just about everything else.

    1. Hmm. Have you tried a full 90-minute rest? Have you tested your oven temp with something like https://ow.ly/8CVPU ? Is it happening more at the end of the batch-life? If so try to use up the dough earlier. If those aren’t the culprits, then let’s consider the flours. Coarser-ground whole grain and rye flours are more likely to behave this way (eg., Hodgson Mills, Bob’s Red Mill, home-ground flours). If you’re using those, try more typical commercial flours. Be sure you’re measuring correctly, like we do (if you’re using volume), see my video at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/04/28/how-we-measure-our-flour-using-the-scoop-and-sweep-method . Or weigh the flours, see video at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2008/10/18/no-knead-whole-grain-baguette-buns-with-extra-sourdough-kick-this-time-weigh-out-the-ingredients .

      If all else fails, decrease the water a little bit. 1/8 cup? 1/4 cup?

      1. I haven’t tried that particular thermometer , but I did put oven thermometers in both ovens. I’m using only King Arthur flours, so I guess I’ll try the water again. I did initially increase water, but that was too much water so I had to decrease it because it was too wet. I’m more experienced now, so maybe it will be easier for me. I will let you know. Thank you for the response. I didn’t know that there was a high heat thermometer.

      2. If you’ve checked with a reasonable thermometer, then it’s not likely your oven temp. Sounds like you should fiddle with the oven a bit. KAF takes a bit more water– but not much, and if you’re finding density’s a problem go easy on that. See our FAQs tab above (Dense crumb: What am I doing wrong? and Flour varieties: Do I need to adjust the liquids when I use different kinds of white flour?)

      3. Jeff ,
        I forgot to tell you that it isn’t happening at the end of shelf life. I don’t really have the patience so I bake what I need and generally freeze the rest defrost over night and then form with a longer rest period. I am using thermometers but just ordered the high heat that you recommended. I don’t think that baking them longer is the answer. I have always used the tapping and listening for the hollow sound as well as turning the bread over at the end. Im puzzled. I will use a little more water again. Seems to be in the center of the loaves. Maybe I should not use the letter fold method.

      4. I’m guessing that more water is not going to solve the problem. See what happens if you skip the letter-fold technique.

  31. Hello. .I live in China and have a small electric oven. I don’t have a baking stone or a cast iron pan / pot that would work. I’d love to try the recipe. Any suggestions?

    Thanks so much .

  32. Hi!
    Listened to you on the Splendid Table last weekend and couldn’t wait to try it. I used the basic recipe on back of the Gold Medal all purpose flour bag I bought. But the bread came out really heavy and dense (few holes) and the crust was really hard. It didn’t have much flavor, either. I’ll continue trying, would love to hear any tips. Like another poster above, I love Ciabatta bread. The holes, flavor, weight, etc are just perfect for my taste.
    PS..I’m on my library’s wait list for the book. 25 people are ahead of me!!

    1. The bag-recipe is very sketchy, much more in the book, or go through our “FAQ” tab, click above. Try aging the dough a bit (flavor develops), and try a longer rest (90 min after shaping), consider alternatives for steam in the oven (another of the FAQs).

  33. Re Platinum Yeast. I recently baked two semolina loaves using the book; one with “regular” granulated Red Star yeast, the other with Platinum. I proofed and refrigerated both for same overnight period. The Platinum rose higher and with more volume, and the surface was more uniform when baked. But as discussed with Red Star’s consumer director, the Platinum loaf had bothered oven spring but ballooned outward a little flatter actually in oval shape. It slap had more yeasty flavor. Her comment was that Platinum was designed for faster rises and to strengthen the dough. The stronger dough holds the yeast which is why it smelled and tasted more yeasty, but as a stronger dough why it became shaped as such — akin to filling a water balloon that does not burst. Hence it is not a longer storage dough yeast, and was not designed as such. Perhaps if you are recommending Platinum you might explore a different measurement to use, or identify the quick rise/ dough strengthening impact on your recipes. Thank you.

    1. Honestly, I haven’t noticed the difference in flavor that you mention. To try a low-yeast version, to the the FAQs tab and click on “Yeast: can it be decreased in the recipes?”, which is the last one on the list. You can definitely decrease the yeast with this product, and I think that will address your concern about a yeasty flavor.

  34. For a change in yeast use the type for fermenting wine. I gives the bread a nice texture and bi of a sour taste. You can also use yeast used to make ale. I haven’t tried Lager yet but it might work in the refrigerated version of your recipe.

  35. I do not have a bread stone OR cast iron pizza pan
    Is there a regular type of pan that may work?

    I also don’t have a 6 qt container… but I really REALLY want to try this bread!

    1. Hi Marci,

      You can use a cookie sheet or a preheated large cast iron pan for baking on. If you have a large bowl or even a stock pot will do nicely for mixing the dough.

      Enjoy, Zoë

  36. i just love love love your recipes. every one i have tried is so delicious and so easy once you get the hang of the technique. thank you for sharing your hard work and delicious recipes with the world! i tell every one i know about your bread and i am so popular because i make good bread because of you!

  37. I’ve made this bread twice now and I’m very happy with the outcome! After living in Italy for 25 years, I grew in love with the beads. Upon my return to the US, it was a love I greatly missed! And now I don’t have to. I’ll be using this recipe a lot! Thank you, Gloria

  38. Sometimes the dough after its shaped and I keep it to rest begins to flatten. It doesn’t always rise properly after that.

    Most times it comes out well. I am wondering whether its because there may have been too much water? Or would the temperature during the day be something to consider. Our kitchens are not heated or airconditioned..so its pretty much room temp. around 30 deg celcius

    1. May be too wet– use a little less water. That’s pretty warm, maybe you don’t need to rest as long and that might handle it too.

  39. You both deserve all the kudos you can get for this new book! Thanks. I just made my 3rd loaf…good stuff.

    One question: Pg 178 says that in making Crisp Cheesy Bread Sticks cut each strip into ⅛” wide strips. That seems very narrow…could this be a typo? That is narrower than Linguini! Ciao…

      1. Jeff, thanks for your reply. We may be talking about different measurements…I can see the ⅛” thickness of the dough or even ¼”…I am talking about the width of the strip to be cut. The book says ⅛” wide, you say ¼” is ok. The pic in the book look like the strips were about 1″ wide…

      2. There’s no perspective in that picture (nothing to compare the sticks to), but it’s definitely wider than 1/8-inch! It works well at many different thicknesses.

      3. Yes, I agree the strips are definitely wider than ⅛”. My point was that your book says to cut them into ⅛” wide strips. If you don’t mind that error, then I don’t either…

      4. Jeff, I still think you have “thickness” confused with “width”. Think of your belt you wear…it is most likely about ⅛” to ¼” “thick”. However, it is probably 1″ up to 2″ in “width”, agreed? Well imagine you cutting your strips into a belt that is only ⅛” wide. Not realistic…but your book says just that.

      5. agree– cut the width, exactly as you define it– as wide as you like. 1/4 inch is good, and so is wider.

  40. Hi there! I just came across your exile and I’m so very excited to try it…!! We simply love bread. I don’t have a baking stone or cast iron flat pan. Can I use a regular baking tray? If I do then will I need to put a hot water bath at the bottom?

    Secondly, shall I spray some water on top of the loaf prior to baking?

    Thanks

  41. You can use a regular pan, and yes, the water bath will continue to help. See steam-making alternatives, the video, by going to our FAQs tab above, and then choosing “Steam alternatives: How do I create a steam environment for a great crust when my oven doesn’t trap steam well?”

  42. I have recently been using Caputo 00 All Purpose four from Italy. Can you tell me what adjustments need to be made with the basic dough recipe in the new book?
    thank You Donna

  43. Hello jeff and Zoe, I’m trying this recipe for the first time and looking forward to great bread tomorrow morning (it’s sitting in my fridge right now waiting) My dough stretches beautifully but seems to be too sticky. I can’t shape it as the dough sticks to my fingers so. I’ve looked at the video and it’s not so sticky. Shall I add more flour to the whatever’s left in the pot (no bucket only stockpot) and mix it in?

    1. You can do that, yes. But our dough’s meant to be sticky– could just use a lot of flour to shape, unless you’re really convinced that the video looks different.

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